Out of the shadows: Unknown autographs of Ivan Bunin, the first Russian Nobel Prize winner for Literature

Tue 28 May 2019

Cambridge University Library

Vera Tsareva-Brauner of the University's Slavonic Section will talk about her extraordinary discovery in the University Library of book dedications written by Ivan Bunin (Russian Nobel Prize winner for Literature) in the first editions of some of his most significant books.

Finding these long-forgotten autographs prompted fascinating research into the books' history and provenance and also resulted in the uncovering of the life stories of the people to whom Bunin dedicated the books. The names, lives and significant contributions of these figures to the preservation of the Russian cultural heritage in exile have, until now, often been neglected. The unearthing of these autographs brought them out of the shadows and back to life.

Vera Tsareva-Brauner's talk will focus on the stories surrounding the Library's collections of émigré writing, touching in particular on the role of Cambridge professor Dame Elizabeth Hill. It will also illuminate the fascinating life and achievements of the dedicatees of two of Bunin's autographs, the Kulmans, with whom he enjoyed a decades-long friendship. The talk, which will include a display of these rare books, will be a fascinating journey into the past that will appeal to Russianists, historians, bibliophiles and literature-lovers alike.

Cost: Free